


Playing It Cool

by marc0bot



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Developing Friendships, Figure Skater Eric "Bitty" Bittle, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Minor Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight, Oblivious Jack Zimmermann, Roommates, Shitty Knight is a Good Bro, Vlogger Eric "Bitty" Bittle, figure skater Dex, figure skater Lardo, omg they were roommates, this was called "and they were roommates...." until posting lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27674678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marc0bot/pseuds/marc0bot
Summary: Heading into their sophomore year, Shitty gets dibs and leaves Jack to once again deal with the prospect of living with a complete stranger.This is fine; Jack can handle this.He just wishes his new roommate would stop avoiding him.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Shitty Knight & Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 115
Kudos: 291





	1. Bad First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> New fic time!! Just a short (or at least I meant for it to be originally....oops) one to post while I prepare to start writing my "teenaged Jack meets figure skater Bitty" fic, which is gonna be a long one-
> 
> This fic is based on a prompt I found, but I won't be revealing what it was until the end or it would ruin the story;;;
> 
> Enjoy!!

“What do you mean we’re not gonna be roommates anymore?”

“It means exactly what you think it means, brah,” Shitty says. “I got dibs.”

Jack gives a nod in understanding, yet his frown stays stuck in a fine line across his face as he does so. He shouldn’t really be surprised that Shitty got someone’s dibs, but whenever he had pictured it, he expected he would as well. He _had_ been voted captain, somehow, as just a sophomore. But apparently, captaincy doesn’t warrant a room at the Haus as long as he _“keeps being such an angsty bitch. You know I love you, man, but seriously. Get that hockey stick out of your ass.”_

He doesn’t want to make Shitty feel guilty, but he can’t help but ask, “And you accepted it?”

“Well shit, dude,” Shitty says, and even though they’re talking on the phone, Jack can easily picture the look on his face, the hand most likely running through his flow. “I mean, yeah, I did. I think if I didn’t I would’ve been shunned. Like, we’re only sophomores, Jack. I don’t really want all of the upperclassmen thinking I suck major ass.” 

Jack can’t really fault him for that. He might not have paid much attention to the two-hour-long lecture about the bylaws, but even _he_ knows that dibs are sacred; if you’re lucky enough to get it, you just can’t say no. If he was in Shitty’s place, he would’ve done the same. 

“And besides, Johnson said something about how this is ‘necessary to advance the plot’ or whatever. God, I wish I knew what strain of weed he was smoking.” 

Jack doesn’t even try to comment on that one; he’d learned pretty early on not to think too hard about anything that comes out of Johnson’s mouth.

Shitty quickly changes the subject. “So, what are you gonna do now?”

“I guess I’ll be assigned a new roommate,” Jack sighs. 

He really doesn’t feel like going through this all over again. With Shitty, things were easy. Or at least, Shitty persisted long enough that it _became_ easy by the end of their frog year. Shitty had latched onto him and didn’t let go until Jack had accepted their friendship, and now he’s going to have to go through it all over again, this time with someone who’s probably not even on the hockey team.

_Crisse_ , they’re going to have nothing in common.

“Just make a good first impression and you’ll be best buds in no time! Who knows, maybe you won’t even need me anymore,” Shitty says, sighing wistfully. Jack can imagine his mustache twitching, trying to hold in a laugh. 

Jack smiles and shakes his head. “You know that won’t happen, Shits.”

“Well, duh,” Shitty replies. “Still, sorry I’m abandoning you, babe. But honestly, I have a feeling that this will be good for you, trust me.” 

And Jack does trust him, for some reason, despite the fact that nothing good has ever come from trusting Shitty Knight.

~~~~~~~~~~~

_Never trust Shitty Knight_.

Jack knows three things about his new roommate: His name is Eric Bittle, he is a freshman, and he is not on the hockey team (he can’t stop reminding himself about that one). 

Jack makes it to their room first, putting away his hockey equipment and leaving his clothes in a pile on one of the beds. Just as Jack gets out of the shower, he hears the door to the room click open. 

Then there’s a hesitant knock on the bathroom door, and a bright and accented voice says, “Jack? I’m guessing it’s Jack...I mean, I _hope_ it is.”

Jack knows _four_ things about his new roommate: His name is Eric Bittle, he is a freshman, he is not on the hockey team, and he has a southern accent that Jack did not expect to hear at a college in Massachusetts.

“Uh, yeah it’s me...I was showering,” Jack replies from the other side of the door. 

“Oh, well, sorry I’m a little late!” Jack hears Bittle’s voice grows slightly distant as he presumably goes to unpack. “Honestly, I was surprised when I found out I’d be rooming with a sophomore, but I guess that means I’ll know someone who knows their way around campus. I’ve practically never ventured out of Georgia before, so I’m a little out of my wits. The dorms seem nice at least, though I did stop by the kitchen and it was a _disaster_.Lord knows I’ll be using it anyway….”

Ok. Eric Bittle is a freshman, not on the hockey team, almost stereotypically southern, and _won’t stop talking_. 

Jack hasn’t said anything in response to Bittle’s rambling (as if he’d even have a chance to), but he also hasn’t left the bathroom even though he was done using it over five minutes ago. He kind of hopes he can stay put until Bittle leaves; the bathroom tile isn’t _too_ uncomfortable to sit on-

“....Jack, you okay in there?” 

He winces.

“Euh, yeah. Sorry,” Jack says, finally opening the door and trying his best to act like he isn’t as awkward as he’s definitely feeling, having only brought a pair of briefs and athletic shorts into the bathroom to change into after his shower, his hair damp and unkempt and his chest bare.

“It’s fine! It’s nice to meet you-” Bittle, who turns away from where he’s unpacking what looks to be his second set of luggage, goes practically rigid as they finally meet face to face. Jack can swear he hears a small gasp escape Bittle’s lips, but he doesn’t spend too much time wondering why. Instead, he gets a good look at his new roommate and finally puts a face to the voice.

Bittle is….small. That’s the only word Jack can think of to describe him. Small, with honey-blond hair that curls slightly around his ears and at the base of his neck, tank top draped loosely over freckled shoulders. He can’t be taller than 5’6 at most. Jack could probably pick him up with one arm.

He tries not to think too hard about that last part.

The voice in his head that sounds a bit too much like Shitty says, _‘Maybe you should stop staring and_ say something!’ 

Bittle is still frozen in place, but now he’s looking anywhere but in Jack’s direction. Jack looks down and realizes he’s still not wearing a shirt. 

He panics, picking up the closest shirt he can find and throwing it on before offering Bittle an only slightly shaky hand. “It’s- Uh, nice to meet you, too.” 

Bittle accepts the handshake, face flushed red and voice small all of a sudden. “Um, yeah.” He pulls his hand away quickly. “Well- I think I’ll- I’m gonna go explore the campus, I think. Get used to my surroundings, you know?” He walks towards the door, still not looking Jack in the eye. “It was nice to meet you- Uh, I’ll be back later...Bye!” 

Before Jack can even process what just happened, Bittle is gone, the door shutting forcefully behind him. 

Jack sighs, hanging his head. His eyes are immediately drawn to the shirt he had hastily pulled on and he freezes.

The words ‘Madison High School Class of 2012’ are written in a blocky red font across his chest, the shirt itself is at least two sizes too small and _definitely_ not his.

_‘Well’,_ he thinks. _‘So much for good first impressions.’_

~~~~~~~~~~

“So, how’s the roommate situation going?” 

Jack glances in Shitty’s direction for a moment before turning his attention back to his shin guards, securing them to his legs and pulling on his socks with practiced ease. Practice doesn’t start for another hour, but Shitty had insisted that they get up early to skate lazy laps around the rink so they could talk and “keep their friendship alive” now that they’re not spending every waking moment together. Jack doesn’t really see the need for it, but he’d never say no to extra ice time. 

Jack gives a noncommittal grunt in response as he wraps his sock tape around his shins.

Shitty finishes putting on his elbow pads and reaches for his practice jersey. “Well, I bet he’s not as cool of a roommate as _I_ was.”

“I wouldn’t know. He doesn’t talk much,” Jack says as he laces up his skates.

“Well, neither do you. Seems like a match made in heaven!” Shitty says as he struggles to get his jersey over his gear and his head through the neck hole. Jack finds it comical sometimes, how much sooner he finishes gearing up compared to his best friend. He guesses that’s just what happens when you learn to gear up before you learn to ride a bike. 

With his skates all laced up, Jack leans back against his changing station and watches Shitty finally start to put on his skates. “That’s the thing. When he first showed up, he wouldn’t stop talking, but then I introduced myself and he went completely silent.”

“Huh. That’s weird,” Shitty says, standing up and reaching for his stick. “Maybe your coveted Zimmermann Charm rendered him speechless and he has yet to recover.”

Jack huffs out a laugh and rises to meet him. “I don’t know about that. I’m pretty sure he’s avoiding me. We’ve lived in the same room for over a week now and I’ve only seen him a few times.”

“I don’t know, man. Your ass really is that intimidating.” 

“Sure, Shits,” he says, shaking his head as they make their way down the tunnel and towards the rink. 

As they approach, Jack can hear the distinct sound of blades cutting ice.

“Dude, did someone beat us here?” Shitty asks. 

Jack shrugs — as best he can in all of his gear — and continues forward until he can see a lone figure skating fast as lightning across the ice. Whoever they are, they’re nothing but a blur of black spandex and blonde hair that seems to glow under the sunlight pouring through the big windows of the facility. As the person zips by once again, going from one end of the rink to the other with so much speed and grace, Jack can’t help but think that their skill is exactly what he needs on his line.

Then the person reaches a leg back, sticks their toe in the ice, and launches into the air, rotating what Jack thinks is at least three times before landing perfectly on one foot. 

And Jack is rendered speechless.

“HOLY FUCKING SHITBALLS!” Shitty’s voice echoes through the building, and the person on the ice stumbles slightly at the sudden sound.

As they turn to look in the direction the noise was coming from, Jack finally gets a good look at their face.

“Bittle?” 

Shitty whips his head so violently in Jack’s direction, Jack wouldn’t be surprised if he pulled a muscle. “Bro, you know him?” 

“Yeah…” Jack replies, still locking eyes with Bittle from several feet away. “He’s my roommate.”

“Shit, man. Did you know he skates?” Shitty asks as they make their way to the rink entrance. 

“He never mentioned it, no.” 

“Jack?” Bittle shouts from center ice, ripping his earbuds out of his ears and gliding over to meet them. “I’m sorry, I thought hockey practice doesn’t start until eight.” 

“We came here early, didn’t think anyone else would be here,” Jack says, trying not to stare at the flush on Bittle’s cheeks.

“Oh, I’ll get out of your hair then, sorry,” he says as he steps off the ice and starts putting on his skate guards. 

Shitty, who hasn’t stopped hopping slightly from foot to foot since they started talking to Bittle, says, “Nothing to be sorry about, brah! You got mad skills!” 

“Um, thank you…” Bittle sits down on the nearest bench and begins to untie his skates with practiced ease, his eyes looking anywhere but at the two hockey players in front of him. 

Jack, who is still a little dumbstruck at the memory of watching Bittle skate so gracefully it looked like he was flying, blurts out, “I didn’t know you skate.” 

Bittle, who had been avoiding looking at Jack directly for the last few minutes, finally meets his eyes. “Um….yeah, I do.” He looks away once again. “Sorry for-”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, by the way! I’m Shitty, an old flame of Jack’s....” Shitty says, looking towards Jack with a wistful expression. 

Bittle looks up from his skates, eyes wide. “What?”

Jack punches Shitty in the shoulder and despite all of the padding, Shitty lets out a soft “ow!”

“He’s my old roommate,” Jack explains, ignoring the pout said old roommate is currently sending his way. 

“Oh, of course….” 

Shitty, returning to his usual self, drapes an arm around Jack’s shoulder and asks, “You didn’t tell him about me, Jack? Are you embarrassed by me or something?” 

“Not answering that-”

“So you _are_!!”

This starts a shoving game between the two of them. If they were on the ice, gloves would be coming off and that new pair of freshmen d-men would most definitely be filming the whole thing. 

They’re interrupted by the sound of Bittle standing abruptly, skate bag slung over one shoulder. “I got- class, to get to. It was nice meeting you….Shitty….see you later, Jack!” 

And just like that, Bittle’s running away from him again. What the hell did Jack do to make Bittle not want to be around him? Is he really that intimidating? 

Shitty doesn’t tune into Jack’s internal struggle, however, and says, “Now let’s have some alone time before everyone else gets here, yeah?” He taps Jack’s ass with his stick, nudging him over to the rink entrance. 

Jack nods, putting his thoughts on the backburner as they start a few slow laps around the rink. 

After a few minutes of silence, Shitty nudges him in the shoulder. “He seems pretty swawsome, Jack-o! You lucked out with that one.” 

Jack isn’t so sure about that, because he’s positive that Bittle doesn’t actually have any classes until at least eleven. 

But instead of voicing any of those thoughts out loud, he simply nods and says, “race you.”

Jack’s off before Shitty can even respond, and the sound of Shitty’s laughter echoes across the rink. 

It seems like Jack’s best tactic for this whole situation is to just ignore it. There’s no way _that’ll_ blow up in his face, right?

~~~~~~~~~~

Jack doesn’t think Bittle’s been _avoiding_ him per se, but it’s hard not to wonder why he’s seen so little of him this past couple of weeks. When he and Shitty were roommates, they were practically alwaysaround one another to the point where it was difficult for Jack to ever find time for himself.

He’s not sure if this new situation is better or worse.

Bittle — or Bitty, as Shitty’s started calling him (though Jack doesn’t dare call him that to his face) — is hardly ever in their dorm. By the time Jack gets ready for bed, Bittle is still nowhere to be found, and Jack wakes up too early in the morning for him to do anything but glance at the lump on Bittle’s bed and just assume he’s under there somewhere. In the fleeting moments where they _have_ interacted, Bittle doesn’t say much at all, barely seeming to be able to look Jack in the eyes for more than a few seconds at a time. 

Either their schedules just so happen to be polar opposites of each other, or Bittle really _is_ avoiding him. Jack’s not sure he even wants to know the answer. 

Jack gets back from his two o'clock lecture earlier than usual and is about to open the door to their room when he hears muffled chatter coming from inside. Bittle is actually in their dorm for once, and he’s talking up a storm. 

He can’t make out exactly what Bittle’s saying, but Jack can hear an energy in his voice that hasn’t been present since the first time he heard Bittle speak and that Jack hasn’t heard since. He kind of wants to keep listening to it, maybe put his ear against the door and see if he can make out what Bittle’s going on about, but Jack’s never really been one to eavesdrop. And besides, he has a lot of homework to get started on and needs a desk to do it.

So, he unlocks the door. 

The door creaks open, and Bittle goes silent immediately. He’s sitting at his desk with his computer open, and as soon as Jack enters, he slams the laptop shut and whips his head in Jack’s direction, looking a bit too much like Jack just caught him doing something very private. 

“Jack!”

He looks away immediately; Jack had really hoped he wouldn’t have to unwillingly see his roommate’s dick so soon this time around. “ _Crisse_ , sorry, I- I should’ve knocked-” 

“What?” Bittle says before an exasperated laugh escapes him. “Goodness, Jack, I wasn’t- Just, no.”

Jack finally sneaks a glance back in Bittle’s direction. He is, in fact, wearing pants. 

He feels a blush creep up his neck just as he sees a similar one reach Bittle’s cheeks. “Oh…”

“Yeah, _oh_. So, um...I thought you had class until four.”

Despite the fact that Bittle hadn’t been...enjoying his alone time...he still looks as though he’s been caught doing something he didn’t want Jack to see. He keeps glancing back and forth between Jack and his laptop, and his legs bounce nervously from where they sit criss-cross on his desk chair. 

“The professor finished early, so he let us leave sooner than usual,” Jack says, and though he absolutely _hates_ confrontation, he can’t help but ask, “Who were you talking to?”

Bittle’s eyes go cartoonishly wide (more so than usual, somehow). “Oh! Um...just my mama. You know how it is…”

Jack does know. He probably talks to his maman way more often than most college sophomores do, but their relationship is definitely a lot more complicated than most. If he doesn’t talk to her at least once a week, she gets worried.

That still doesn’t answer why Bittle was so quick to hide what he was doing, though. Staying in touch with your mother is nothing to be embarrassed about, especially as a freshman who just left home for the first time. 

He wants to press harder, but Jack knows that his relationship (if you can even call it that) with his new roommate is not strong enough in the slightest to handle interrogation.

Instead, Jack goes to his desk, takes his laptop out of his backpack, and sits down to get to work. “Sorry I interrupted that, then. Are you going to call her back?”

“No, it’s fine!” 

“I don’t mind,” Jack says as he watches Bittle shove practically everything on his desk into his backpack and sling it over his shoulder. 

“It’s alright. I just remembered I....have a study group I should be getting to, so I’ll get out of your hair!” 

“...Ok? See you tonight, I guess?”

“I’ll probably be out late, but yeah.” Eric opens the door. “Bye, Jack!” 

The door is shut before he can even respond. 

Shaking his head, Jack turns his attention to his computer; this essay isn’t going to write itself. But in the back of his mind, Jack can’t stop thinking about how his new roommate is somehow even weirder than _Shitty Knight_. 

And despite that, he still finds himself wanting to crack the code that is Eric Bittle, if only to make his life a little bit easier. 

By the time he goes to bed that night, he doesn’t just have a finished essay draft, he has a game plan.


	2. Let's Try This Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems like “Operation: Make Friends with Bittle” is off to a good start.

Jack tells himself, as he opens up the doors to the rink at five in the morning on a Sunday, that he’s _definitely_ not stalking his roommate. He just randomly feels like going to the rink before the sun is even out and it totally has nothing to do with the fact that he had been woken up by the sound of Bittle shuffling around their room and had noticed him grab his skate bag on his way out. It’s just a crazy coincidence that they’re heading to the rink at the same time. 

As he sticks his head out from behind the wall of the rink’s entrance and watches, mesmerized, as Bittle spins around and around and _around,_ folded almost completely forward, Jack convinces himself that it isn’t considered stalking if he makes his presence known. 

He just wishes he was good at doing that. 

So Jack does the only thing he _is_ good at; he laces up his skates and gets on the ice. 

He skates up to Bittle slowly, hoping that he’ll notice him standing there, but Bittle simply launches into another spin, his right leg and torso perfectly parallel to the ice.

Jack clears his throat, and Bittle’s head whips towards him. 

“Ja-” Bittle doesn’t finish the thought as the front of his blade catches the ice and he begins to fall forward. 

Jack’s hockey reflexes kick into gear, and he catches Bittle before his head can hit the ice. Bittle’s face is squished into Jack’s chest and his arms wrap tightly around Jack’s shoulders, Jack’s arms doing the same, but around Bittle’s waist. It’s a very small waist, Jack thinks; ‘ _he should eat more protein_.’ 

Bittle looks up, eyes wide and face flushed (probably from the cold of the rink, Jack guesses), and quickly removes himself from Jack’s grasp. 

He tugs at the bottom of his sports jacket and says, “Thank you...” He runs a hand through his hair, and Jack definitely doesn’t laser focus on the movement _or_ how his hair somehow still looks perfect even after an intense workout. “...So, what are you doing here so early in the morning?” 

Jack rips his gaze away from the top of Bittle’s head and replies, “I could ask you the same question. I didn’t think you had the ability to get up this early.” Apparently, when in doubt, Jack resorts to chirps. 

“Well, _someone’s_ team is always hogging the ice at every reasonable hour,” Bittle says, and Jack can’t help but notice that Bittle seems much more relaxed on the ice; Jack can’t blame him. “Besides, my coach used to make me get up at five every morning for Soviet Calisthenics, so I _can_ actually wake up before ten, _thank you very much_.” 

_‘That explains the tiny waist_ ,’ Jack guesses. ‘ _Crisse, stop thinking about his waist.’_

Not having a clue how to respond, Jack says, “Those uh…spins. They um...they looked good?” 

Foot, meet mouth. 

“Oh, you mean the camel spin? It’s definitely one of my best. Well, when I don’t get spooked in the middle of it, that is.” A soft laugh escapes Bittle’s lips, and Jack can’t help but notice that he’s actually _talking_ to him and isn’t trying to leave. 

It seems like “Operation: Make Friends with Bittle” is off to a good start….so far. 

“You never answered my question, though.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you here?”

“Oh.” Jack pauses. “I, uh...just wanted to skate I guess? Clear my head?”

Bittle gives Jack the first genuine smile he’s ever directed at him, small and tentative. “I get that. I come here to clear my head, too.”

Jack smiles back, just as shy and ten times more awkward. “Do you...wanna skate together?”

For a moment, Bittle looks like he’s going to refuse and maybe even make another excuse for why he needs to leave and bolt out of there before Jack can say anything in response. Instead, he looks away, eyes to the ice beneath his blades, and says, “Yeah, sure.”

They do just that. Jack and Bittle skate side by side, circling the ice for at least another hour. They don’t say much, but Bittle does do a few jumps when Jack asks to see them, and every time he does, Jack is rendered even more speechless by just how effortless Bittle makes it all look. 

After a while, as they glide lazily together, Bittle asks out of nowhere, “I woke you up this morning, didn’t I?”

Jack stops in his tracks and Bittle continues forward before turning to face him. “...Yeah. You did.”

Bittle shakes his head, but the smile on his face quells Jack’s anxieties just a little. “Clearing your head, huh?”

“Uh, yeah, about that-” 

“Jack, why did you come here?” Bittle asks. “I’m not angry, just a little confused.” He laughs again, this time a little nervously.

Maybe Jack should’ve thought his plan through a little bit better. 

“I- I want us to be friends,” Jack answers truthfully. “You know, since we’re living together and everything…”

The flush on Bittle’s cheeks gets just a little more visible as he says, “Oh.” His surprise dissipates, however, as he comes next to Jack and nudges his side as they begin skating again. “Is that why you and Shitty are so close?” 

“Haha, yeah, he didn’t really give me a choice.”

Bittle laughs, slowly making his way to the rink’s entrance. “Well, I guess we might as well get used to each other, huh?” 

They get off the ice after that, taking their time as they remove their skates side by side, but Jack can’t help but notice the few feet of space Bittle leaves between them on the bench. 

As they grab their bags and make their way outside, Jack asks, “Do you wanna go to Annie’s?”

Bittle stutters out a response, “Um, I don’t know- I don’t want to impose-”

“Trust me, Bittle, I’m good for it.”

“Oh, well, then who am I to say no,” Bittle replies, though he still seems wary. “Lead the way!” 

Jack sighs internally. Step one of “Operation: Make Friends with Bittle” is complete, now he just has to put in the work to keep it afloat. 

Eric Bittle really can talk for ages, but Jack thinks he could get used to it as he sips his coffee and listens to Bittle ramble on about the other members of the school’s figure skating club. Jack nods along, responding when necessary. 

He tries to ignore just how easy it all feels.

They stay there until Jack has to leave for a meeting, and he’s surprised to realize that he’s actually sad that he has to go. 

Bittle seems disappointed as well as they part ways, and damn if that isn’t a change of pace. 

~~~~~~~~~~

It continues just like that for the rest of the Fall semester, with Jack doing his best to form a strong friendship with Bitty in any way he can.

Yes, he’s finally started calling him Bitty. After that first morning at the rink, carving out time to skate together became a regular occurrence and soon enough — though Jack had tried his best to delay the inevitable — his teammates took advantage of this fact and introduced themselves. 

_“Jack! Why didn’t you tell us your new roomie can skate?” Ransom asked accusingly, though his excitement was too palpable as he did so to make it very effective._

_“I guess it just didn’t come up.”_

_“And he’s a figure skater!” Holster turned his attention to said figure skater, who looked a little overwhelmed at being accosted by a guy almost a whole foot taller than him. “Dude, can you do like...jumps and stuff?”_

_Shitty weaseled his way to Bittle’s side at that, throwing his arm over Bittle’s shoulders. “He sure can! And he gets some serious fuckin height, too. Almost brought me to tears witnessing it.” He puts a hand to his chest with a wistful expression that makes Bittle laugh; Shitty was very good at making Bittle feel a lot less intimidated, it seemed._

_“CAN YOU SHOW US?” Ransom and Holster asked in unison, practically vibrating out of their skates._

_“Um, sure?” Bittle said. He then skated out and launched into a triple lutz (Jack was starting to be able to identify the different types, apparently)_. _Bittle landed gracefully, like his defiance of gravity was no big deal._

_“HOLY FUCKING SHITBALLS!”_

_“THAT’S WHAT_ I _SAID!” Shitty exclaimed, and Jack could do nothing but shake his head and laugh._

_It continued like that for several minutes, with Ransom and Holster requesting certain moves (with their very limited knowledge of figure skating) and Bittle performing each one, seemingly getting a lot of amusement out of witnessing the two men’s reactions._

_“Dude, you would be such a good hockey player,” Ransom said as Bittle skated back to them after one particularly impressive jump._

_Bittle laughed, “Oh, I don’t know about that…Not a lot of jumping and spinning in hockey-”_

_“We could make a play out of it,” Holster interrupted, with not a hint of sarcasm._

_Ransom nodded. “Totally. Consider yourself an honorary member of the Samwell Men’s Hockey Team, bro!”_

_The redness of Bittle’s cheeks deepened, but before he could respond, Holster said, “Wait! If you’re part of the team now, that means you need a nickname! Any ideas?”_

_Shitty chimed in, “Oh, I’ve already got that covered. How do you feel about Bitty?”_

_“Bitty?” Bittle asked, testing it out. “...I like it!”_

_Shitty had a (no pun intended) shit-eating grin as he said, “It’s perfect! You know, because you’re so small!”_

_“_ Hey _!”_

_Holster laughed, “It’s true, bro! I could probably pick you up with one arm!”_

_Ransom shot back, “So could I!”_

_“....prove it.”_

_“Hey Bitty, can I pick you up?” Ransom asked._

_“Oh, Lord…”_

_The rest of their ice time was spent taking turns to see who could lift Bitty the highest._

_“Yo Bits, is this what figure skating lifts are?”_

_“Not at all- OKAY, PUT ME DOWN!”_

_Jack laughed at his friends’ shenanigans, and though Bitty made a fuss, his smile gave him away. Jack didn’t participate, but that didn’t stop him from imagining how Bitty’s waist would feel beneath his hands, how easily he could throw him over his shoulder-_

So yeah, Jack calls him Bitty now. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Besides the chaos of having his new roommate and his teammates becoming friends, Jack and Bitty start spending a lot of time together, just the two of them, in their dorm and around campus.

Saturday nights turn into weekly study sessions, which quickly morph into movie nights as Bitty struggles to stay focused. 

“...Hey,” Bitty says, spinning around in his desk chair to face Jack. 

“Hey.”

Bitty gestures to Jack’s laptop. “...Are you done?”

“Yeah, I finished ten minutes ago.”

“Oh.”

Jack nods. “Are _you_ done?” 

“No...” Bitty replies, eyes moving back to his laptop. He shuts it, then turns back to Jack. “....wanna watch a movie?”

He’s about to ask why Bitty doesn’t want to finish his work when he notices that Bitty’s eyebrows are laced with frustration, stress evident in the way he can’t seem to get comfortable in his chair. 

“...Yeah, sure,” Jack replies. “There’s this documentary on Netflix I’ve been meaning to watch.”

Bitty seems to relax a little at that and rolls his eyes. “I meant a _real_ movie, you nerd.” He moves to his bed, leaving one side empty. “Get over here, and bring your laptop. You’re the only one who can afford a subscription.”

Jack laughs, picks up his laptop, and tries to get as comfortable as he can on Bitty’s narrow twin bed.

They watch some random Netflix Original that looks interesting based on the trailer, with Bitty making comments here and there (he’s a movie talker, apparently). It easily becomes a regular thing for them to watch a movie together after they get tired of working. Jack always has a good time, though he can’t help but notice the effort Bitty takes to keep from touching him, never quite relaxing. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Jack tags along with Bitty to the rink at least once a week. Jack watches Bitty practice his programs until they’re nothing short of perfect, and Bitty even convinces him to learn a few figure skating moves, laughing every time Jack falls on his ass, but always helping him back onto his feet. 

And every time, Jack invites him to Annie’s afterward. 

He doesn’t think too hard about _why_ , he just does. He doesn’t think about how even when Bitty says it’s his turn to pay, Jack doesn’t let him. He doesn’t think about the content look on Bitty’s face as he takes his first sip of the sugary latte Jack buys for him, or of the whipped cream on his top lip that he licks away with his tongue. He doesn’t think about how small the table they sit at really is, how Jack can’t avoid knocking their knees together underneath it. 

And he _definitely_ doesn’t think about how much it feels like a date. Thinking too hard about things like that is never a good thing, Jack knows. 

Jack still catches Bitty talking to someone, or himself, from the other side of their door many times, but he never brings it up, no matter how curious he is. It was obvious the first time it happened that Bitty has some things he wants to keep private, and Jack completely understands. It doesn’t stop him from wondering about it, though, in the back of his mind. He hopes Bitty will feel comfortable enough to tell him soon. 

If he never does, well, Jack can manage.

~~~~~~~~~~

After several months filled with movie nights, skating sessions, and spending way too much on coffee, Jack is almost caught off guard by the end of the semester. 

Bitty talks excitedly to Jack about what he’s going to do while he’s back in Georgia as they pack for Winter break, Jack’s mind wandering as he fills his suitcase with just enough clothes to last the few weeks in Montreal with his parents and still leave room for his skates. 

“...I mean, mama and I always go all-out for Christmas, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I spend all my time in the kitchen-” Bitty stops. “Are you even listening?”

Jack stops packing and looks in Bitty’s direction. “Yes!” He shakes his head. “I mean- no, I wasn’t. Sorry.”

Zipping up his second suitcase, Bitty takes a seat on his bed and asks, “Got something on your mind?”

“How can you tell?”

“I don’t know...I just can, I guess.” 

Jack’s taken aback slightly. Since when did Bitty become able to read Jack almost as well as Shitty does?

He sighs. “Yeah, I do.” 

Wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees, Bitty says, “Would you like to share with the class?” 

Jack leaves his suitcase open and goes to sit on his bed, facing Bitty. “Is it weird that I’m not really excited for the break?”

Bitty lifts his head from his knee. “Not at all! I totally understand!” He smiles. “For me, it’s like I’ve just started getting comfortable, and now I have to go back home.” He turns his gaze to the ceiling and sighs.

“I mean, I’m happy I get to see my parents again, but Georgia...It’s not Samwell.”

Jack nods. “It’s not Samwell.”

Switching the attention away from himself, Bitty teases, “But what about you, Mr. Sophomore? I thought you’d be sick of this place by now.” 

Laughing a little at that, Jack replies, “Yeah, I think I’m just as surprised as you are.” 

The thing is, Jack is usually pretty happy to visit Montreal. He misses his parents and he knows that they worry about him every day that he’s not there. His freshman year, everything was still raw, and though he was glad to finally be out on his own, there was still a part of him that felt stuck in a sterile hospital room. Sure, Shitty had wormed his way into Jack’s bubble and Jack wasn’t embarrassed to say he missed him whenever he went home, but it was never enough to make Jack reluctant to leave. This time around though, he feels something he never expected to feel. 

Jack is finally starting to get comfortable; not with Samwell, but with Bitty. 

Obviously trying to lighten the mood, Bitty asks, “What are you gonna miss most, while we’re gone?”

“The ice at Fabor is better than a frozen lake, that’s for sure,” Jack replies, not even trying to conceal a smirk.

Bitty’s smile deflates at that. “Yeah, I’ll miss that too, I guess-”

Jack lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “ _You_ , Bitty. I’m going to miss _you_.”

“Oh! Well…” he can see the blush bloom on Bitty’s cheeks almost instantly. “I’m gonna miss you too, Jack.”

Jack smiles, and Bitty returns it, so bright Jack almost needs to look away; he doesn’t though, not sure if he really could. 

“Second to Annie’s, of course-”

Throwing a sock at Bitty’s face and bracing for the pillow that gets sent his way in retaliation, Jack hopes that absence doesn’t _really_ make the heart grow fonder, or else he’ll be in a world of trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this fic is now gonna be 5 chapters instead of 4,,,I realized that if I split it that way I can make it so there's 1 chapter a week and no 2-week break between chapters 3 and 4 uwu
> 
> Next up: Spring semester begins + a few SMH cameos (though not all of them are playing hockey this time around...)!!


	3. Friend of a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnson, who has not said a word this entire time and failed to even introduce himself to Bitty, says through a mouthful of pecan, “Jack, you better not mess this up or I might have to give Bitty my dibs.”

Winter break passes by in a flash, consisting mainly of Jack distracting himself by skating on the pond behind his parents’ house and planning his schedule for the next semester. He decidedly _doesn’t_ think about Bitty.

Or, well, not much, at least. Jack tries to stop himself from thinking too much about how easy talking to Bitty has become, but it’s hard when his roommate is such an avid texter. They talk almost every day, though only through texts as Jack makes it clear that phone calls make him anxious (they actually haven’t in a while, but Jack just has an unconscious understanding that with Bitty, he would be). He’s never been great at texting, but Bitty makes it easy. 

Jack doesn’t miss the way his parents look at him when they catch him smiling at his phone. They don’t pry, but Jack can tell they’re holding back the urge. 

He guesses that’s why, when he gets on the plane back to Samwell, he’s not surprised by the lingering hug and knowing look his parents give him. 

Jack definitely doesn’t miss it, but he doesn’t look too deep into it either. 

Bitty’s already in their room and fully unpacked by the time he arrives, and the smile Bitty gives him fills him with a sense of comfort, happy to be back. 

“Jack!” Bitty says as soon as he opens the door. He jumps up from his spot on his bed and looks like he’s about to go in for a hug before he stops, instead putting his hands on his hips and giving Jack a look that he’s come to know as Bitty’s chirping face. “So, didja miss me?”

Jack pauses, wishing for a moment that Bitty _had_ gone in for a hug, because he can’t seem to be able to initiate one himself. Instead, Jack chirps him right back.

“Sorry, I’ll need at least three business days before I can determine the answer to that question.”

“Soary…” Bitty laughs, a terrible impression of how being home has made his accent more prominent. 

Jack goes to unpack his luggage, fixing Bitty with a hard glare, though the quirk of his lips is hard to contain. “Keep up with that and the answer will definitely be no.” 

Bitty doesn’t answer, just plops back down on his bed and reaches for his phone, attempting to type through a fit of giggles. 

“Don’t tweet that.” 

More laughter; Jack smiles. ‘ _It’s good to be back.’_

~~~~~~~~~~

The semester begins just as it always does, with lectures and homework and the dread of incoming stress. Jack and Bitty still find time to spend together though, possibly even more than the semester before, especially now that one of them isn’t spending almost an entire month avoiding the other. 

They keep up their rituals, and Jack even meets some of Bitty’s figure skating friends when he shows up at the rink after class so he and Bitty can walk back to their dorm together.

He doesn’t know why he suggested they do that, it just kind of happened and Jack has decided not to question it. 

The skaters ambush him immediately, surrounding him as he waits for Eric to finish removing his skates. Bitty doesn’t pay attention, however, probably getting a kick out of watching him be fed to the wolves. 

A few girls simply talk over one another, seemingly introducing themselves, though Jack can’t make out a word they’re saying. He does hear the words “damn, Eric!” and “he’s cute!” through the noise, watching them give Bitty knowing looks and start whispering to one another, barely remembering to tack on a “nice to meet you!” as they wave goodbye. Jack decidedly ignores whatever the hell that was about, and Bitty seems to as well.

“So _you’re_ the roommate we’ve heard so much about,” another skater says from behind. Jack turns to face her, her head barely reaching Jack’s chin even in skates. 

Jack, not knowing how to answer, simply nods and gives as natural a smile as he can muster. 

“You’re on the hockey team, right?” she asks. She’s a lot less confrontational than the others were as she casually crosses her arms over her chest. 

“Uh, yeah. I’m the captain.”

She nods, “Sweet. I’m Larissa.” She reaches out a hand for Jack to shake; he takes it.

“Jack.”

Larissa gives him a small smile and retracts her hand as another skater gets his attention. Jack guesses that this is Will, the only other male skater in the club besides Bitty who Jack remembers him mentioning in passing at some point. 

“So, what’s rooming with Eric like?” Will asks. “I bet he’s in the dorm kitchen a lot. I swear he brings a different pie to almost every practice.”

Jack’s about to answer, but Larissa interjects, “Don’t act like you don’t eat at least two slices every time, Pointdexter.”

Will blushes so visibly it reaches his ears. “I never said it was a _bad_ thing…” 

Larissa ignores him, instead turning to Jack to ask, “Care if we catch a game sometime?”

“...I mean, sure, if you want.”

“Awesome,” Larissa replies, a small smirk reaching her lips. “Gotta go through the vetting process, you know? Make sure you're treating our boy right.”

Jack, wholly confused, just says, “Huh?” 

“ _OK_! Enough of that,” Bitty interrupts before Jack can get an explanation. His cheeks are almost as red as Will’s. “We gotta get going, right Jack?” He places the hand that isn’t holding his skate bag on Jack’s bicep, which Jack flexes slightly; completely unintentionally, of course. 

Bitty seems to get distracted for a moment, before pulling Jack by the wrist towards the exit and saying, “Bye, Larissa! Bye, Will!” 

Jack lets himself be dragged away, turning his head to wave goodbye to the two skaters behind them. “Um, it was nice meeting you!” 

“You, too,” Will waves back. 

Larissa does the same, adding, “See you at your next game!”

Bitty picks up the pace, letting go of his wrist only once they’re outside. He rolls his eyes, adjusting his toque over his ears. “Those two, I swear…”

“They were nice,” Jack says, still a little overwhelmed at what just happened, the lingering feeling of Bitty’s fingers wrapped around his wrist making it hard for him to think of anything else to say in response. 

Bitty lets out a huff, trapped in the scarf he has wrapped tightly around his neck besides the fact that it’s Spring and the remaining chill of Winter is barely present anymore. 

They walk in silence for a little while. About halfway to their dorm, Jack asks, “So...why haven’t I gotten to try your pie, eh?” He nudges Bitty’s shoulder with his elbow.

Bitty shoots him a look; chirp incoming. “I didn’t think you were into sweets, mister protein.” 

Jack shrugs. “I’m flexible.” 

“Then I guess I better show you what you’re missing,” Bitty smiles; Jack feels a little flustered at that, for some odd reason. “...I can even teach you, if you want?”

“How to make a pie?”

“Yeah…”

Jack’s surprised by the suggestion, but smiles as he says, “That sounds fun. Don’t blame me if I ruin it though.”

Bitty laughs, bumping into Jack’s side. “Oh, I won’t let that happen.”

Jack bumps Bitty back, and they continue to walk the rest of the way in comfortable silence, Jack catching himself glancing every so often at the tip of Bitty’s nose, red from the cold. 

If Bitty notices him staring, he doesn’t say anything. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

After Jack gets to know Bitty’s figure skating friends, it’s no surprise that Bitty gets the opportunity to meet more of _his_ teammates soon after.

Once he had let it slip in the group chat that Bitty could bake, everyone was practically begging that Jack invite him over so he could bake for them. Bitty, the angel that he is, had said yes immediately. 

“Though I hope I won’t be too intimidated, surrounded by a bunch of jocks,” Bitty had said. 

Jack, despite how rowdy he knew his team could become, had simply told him not to worry. “They’ll love you, I promise. 

“Well, they _better_. I _am_ making them pie, afterall.”

They make their way to the Haus on one of the rare weekends where the team doesn’t have a game, Bitty holding three empty pie tins and Jack holding...well, everything else. 

“Are you sure three pies isn’t too much?” Jack asks. 

Bitty waves off Jack’s question with his free hand and says, “My daddy’s the coach of the high school football team back home. Trust me, I know how much you boys can eat.”

Once they’re at the door, Jack carefully sets down one of the bags of ingredients and knocks. The door swings open almost instantly, a barely clothed Shitty on the other side (though Jack thinks he should be lucky that Shitty’s wearing any clothes at all).

“Jack, love of my life! Have you brought the goods?” Shitty asks, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

Jack rolls his eyes and smiles, “Yeah, Shits. We brought the goods.”

“Fuck yeah!” He picks up the bag Jack left at his feet and walks back inside, leaving the door wide open for them to follow. “Thanks for baking for us, Bits. I’m sure it’s gonna be fucking delicious.” 

Bitty smiles, easily gravitated toward the kitchen without even being told where it was, “It’s no problem at all, really! Lord knows I’ll take any opportunity to stop using our sad excuse for a dorm kitchen.” 

Jack follows Bitty into the kitchen, and they’re immediately accosted by Ransom and Holster. Though they don’t technically live at the Haus as freshmen, they seem to spend almost every waking minute here when they’re not in class or at practice.

“Bitty, my man! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day,” Holster greets, slapping Bitty a little too hard on the back. Bitty flinches, but doesn’t pull away.

“I only told you he bakes like two days ago,” Jack says.

Ransom, who’s seated at the kitchen table and surrounded by textbooks, doesn’t even bother to look up from his notes as he replies, “Two days is an eternity when it comes to pie.”

Bitty just laughs and quickly gets to work setting out all of the ingredients they brought, and Jack is surprised by how at home he looks in a kitchen that he’s never even stepped foot in before. It’s like his body knew where everything would be without even having to ask. 

Jack slides up to Bitty’s side, nudges him with his elbow, and asks, “So, what do you need me to do, teacher?”

Bitty’s gives him a confused look before his eyes widen in understanding and he laughs, “Oh! Don’t worry about helping out this time. I’ve gotta make a good first impression, you know?” He pats Jack on the shoulder and leans in, whispering, “Besides, I want to be able to give you all of my attention.” 

His mouth becoming very dry all of a sudden, Jack whispers back, “O-okay, sounds good.” 

Smiling, Bitty goes back to work and Jack quickly moves to a seat at the table, resting his head on his palm and watching Bitty as he works.

All three pies are finished in what feels like the blink of an eye, and as soon as the smell reaches outside the kitchen, the residents of the Haus come flooding in, looking all too much like bloodhounds sniffing out the source. 

Bitty sets the pies down on the table — apple, peach, and pecan — and moves to gather plates and utensils from the counter. “You might wanna let them cool down a bit before digging in, but I hope you enjoy-” 

The hoard of hockey players spring into action before Bitty can even dole out slices, foregoing plates in favor of shoving pieces into their mouths at warpspeed. Jack just sits back and watches the show, trying not to laugh at the look on Bitty’s face as his pies get absolutely decimated in a matter of minutes. 

Johnson, who has not said a word this entire time and failed to even introduce himself to Bitty, says through a mouthful of pecan, “Jack, you better not mess this up or I might have to give Bitty my dibs.”

Jack shares a confused glance with Bitty; he doesn’t think he could begin to respond to that if he tried. 

They leave the Haus shortly after cleaning up (which Bitty, thankfully, lets Jack help him with). 

As they make their way back to their dorm, Bitty says seemingly to himself, “The things those boys did to those pies were felonious…” 

Jack laughs, “Yeah, you’ll get used to it.”

It’s weird to think about how far they’ve come. Just last semester, Jack wouldn’t have even entertained the thought of inviting Bitty to the Haus. Though, to be fair, he tends to stay away from it himself; without dibs, Jack almost feels like an intruder, even though he’s their captain.

With Bitty tagging along, Jack actually felt more like part of the team than he ever has. He doesn’t know how, but it’s a crazy thing to realize. 

Once again, a comfortable silence falls on them both, breaking abruptly outside the door to their room as Bitty realizes, “You never got to try the pie!”

Jack, with his key in the doorknob, pauses and says, “Well, I thought I’d just wait until you help me make my own, eh?”

Bitty looks up at him with a warm smile and says, “Yeah...good idea.” 

Looking down to give Bitty a smile in return, he realizes they’re a lot closer than he thought they were; Jack can practically feel the heat radiating off of Bitty from this close. It’s...nice, but Jack doesn’t know what to make of it, frozen in place. 

Bitty seems to realize this too as he abruptly breaks eye contact, turns the key the rest of the way himself, and opens the door, quickly making a b-line for the bathroom.

“I’m just gonna, um...wash all this flour off…”

Jack, who’s still stuck in place under the doorframe, simply replies, “Sounds good. I’ll uh...be here.” 

Bitty gives him a smile, one Jack can tell is a little strained, and closes the door. 

They don’t talk much for the rest of the evening, but as they both head to bed, Bitty says, “Good night, Jack.”

“Good night, Bittle.” 

Jack doesn’t think there’s anything wrong, but he definitely feels something between them begin to shift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is currently on track to be completed on the 20th, but if I miss a week cause I start procrastinating no one should be surprised-
> 
> Next up: Jack is a ding dong who's oblivious to his feelings (until he isn't) and Bitty's secret is revealed (sorta)


	4. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living in the Haus was supposed to be his endgame for sophomore year, but now, he’s not so sure if that’s really what he wants anymore.

Bitty finally gets around to teaching Jack how to bake a pie a couple of weeks later when the team gets a day off from practice (Jack doesn’t really understand why, as they’re only a week away from fighting for their spot in the Frozen Four, but there’s not much he can really do about it; if he tried to call an impromptu practice, his teammates would skin him alive-).

(And Jack’s actually kind of happy about it, all things considered.)

Refusing to use the Haus kitchen in fear of constant distractions, Bitty leads him to the dorm kitchen, which is surprisingly empty for a Tuesday afternoon right before dinner time. He watches as Bitty begins pulling out ingredients like he owns the place, and Jack begins to suspect that this is probably where he was all those times he was avoiding him last semester.

Bitty hasn’t admitted that he was avoiding him those first few weeks, but he can probably tell that Jack doesn’t believe his excuses. Ever since they began hanging out on the regular, Bitty hasn’t once brought up those study sessions he always said he was a part of. Jack now knows that when he’s not in class, Bitty’s either at the rink with his skating buddies, baking in the kitchen, or hanging out with him.

Bitty starts him out easy, having Jack peel the apples while he starts on the dough for the crust. As Bitty explains each step as he does them, Jack can’t help but notice just how good he is at this, at teaching someone how to bake. He’s so easy to follow that even Jack, who’s only attempt at cooking ended with a pile of charred brownies that Shitty had somehow still consumed, completely understands every word. Bitty makes it look so easy, just like when he skates, like he doesn’t need to think twice about his next move; it’s all muscle memory.

Speaking of muscles, Jack keeps catching himself glancing at Bitty’s arms as he rolls out the dough, the shape of his biceps bulging out under his skin; the skin that’s starting to gain even more freckles as the weather gets warmer and Bitty finally starts shedding all those extra layers-

_‘Ok, Jack. Back to peeling.’_

At some point, as they begin constructing their respective pies, they just start chatting. Not about anything in particular, mostly how the semester is going for both of them. Soon enough, the conversation turns to Jack and his team.

“Are you guys excited?” Bitty asks, referring to the Frozen Four.

Jack, who begins cutting the dough into strips for his lattice, answers, “I guess so. Mostly nervous, to be honest.”

“And why’s that?”

“Well, it’s not so much about qualifying. I know we’ll be able to do that,” he says as he starts to attempt to weave the dough together. “It’s mostly what comes after, I guess. As captain, there’s a lot more pressure to win. If we don’t, who knows if they’ll want me as captain next year...I honestly still don’t understand why they voted for me to begin with.”

Bitty, who’s a lot farther along in his lattice weaving process, says, “They made you captain because they trust you, Jack. I’m not on the team and even _I_ can tell that those boys respect the hell out of you.”

“They didn’t even give me dibs. They might respect me, but I don’t think they like me all that much.”

Bitty laughs a little, like he can’t help it, before saying, “Well, Shitty _did_ tell me you had a pretty big hockey stick up your butt freshman year.” Jack can’t disagree with that; Bitty continues, “And I know I didn’t know you back then, but I can tell you’ve changed. I think everyone else can too.”

Jack nods slowly, not knowing exactly how to respond. He hadn’t really noticed it, but he thinks, maybe he _has_ changed. Jack isn’t as tightly wound as he was in their first year at Samwell and though part of that can be attributed to Shitty worming his way into his space, Jack doesn’t really have an explanation for why he’s only really started to open up now.

But, Jack realizes as rips a strip of his dough in half, he _does_ have an explanation for it. And it’s right in front of him, humming a tune and swaying his hips as cleans up the counter.

Without pausing his cleaning, Bitty asks, his voice slightly hesitant, “do you want to live at the Haus?”

Jack, not knowing the answer himself, ignores the question entirely, instead looking down at his creation and saying, “Bitty, I have no idea what I’m doing with this.” He picks up his pie, the lattice a complete mess. “My lattice is terrible, look-”

Jack turns around to show him, but ends up bumping into Bitty instead, who’s holding a bag of flour as he moves to put it away.

“Oh, sorry-”

“Pardon me-”

Bitty looks up at him then, teasing, “Excuse you, but my kitchen is no place for _checking_!”

“...Your kitchen?” Jack asks.

“Well, _the_ kitchen! Now move your big- uhm-”

Jack holds his pie above his head, looking down at Bitty as he asks, “My big…?”

Bitty blushes bright red, then Jack is met with a handful of flour to the face as Bitty bypasses him to get to the pantry.

“I was asking about your future living situation, _Mr. Zimmermann_ ,” He says, moving to check if the oven is done preheating, gaze fixed to the oven door. “Do you _want_ to live in the Haus next year?”

Jack pauses, then responds, “I...I don’t know.”

He continues to explain how he feels about the idea, at least, as best he can. Even Jack doesn’t really know what he wants anymore. At the start of the year, he would’ve given anything to get a room at the Haus, wanting desperately to not have to deal with a new roommate all over again. He had planned to do just that, at first, work hard to win the favor of an upperclassman and secure a place for himself, but he seems to have completely forgotten about that plan until now. Instead of putting in the work to get dibs, he started spending the majority of his time with Bitty, working to win _his_ favor instead.

Living in the Haus was supposed to be his endgame for sophomore year, but now, he’s not so sure if that’s really what he wants anymore.

As he looks back at Bitty, the look on his face makes him pause. Bitty looks like his mind is wandering to god knows where, staring at Jack like he hasn’t processed a single word he’s said in the last two minutes.

Jack raises a brow, a little teasing as he asks, “Bitty, what’s wrong? If there’s something on my face, you put it there.”

Bitty seems to snap out of it at that, running a flour-covered hand through his hair and leaving white streaks in his bangs. “Oh, it’s nothing! So...you’re going to want to set your timer for-”

Just then, a group of at least five freshmen come barging into the kitchen, not even trying to keep their voices down as they complain about how tired and hungry they are after a three-hour lecture. Jack and Bitty share a glance, then they both start to laugh.

Bitty turns off the oven, then points to the pies sitting on the counter in front of them. “Speaking of the Haus-”

“Yeah…” Jack picks up his mess of a pie and gestures towards the door. “Come on, I bet they’ll let us use the oven if we let them have a slice.”

Picking up his own and leading Jack to the door, Bitty replies, joking, “Maybe not from yours. Who knows if it’s edible-”

Jack lightly shoves Bitty in response before running slightly ahead of him.

“Hey! Precious cargo, here!”

Once the pies are done and everyone digs in, Jack isn’t surprised when no one has a slice of his except for Bitty, who takes a bite and looks across the table at him with a smile and a thumbs up.

And that’s all the validation Jack needs.

~~~~~~~~~~

It turns out that Bitty and his figure skating friends weren’t lying when they said they’d come to watch a game. Bitty has gone to a few since they started to become friends, but Jack could tell he didn’t really get what was going on and had trouble enjoying himself because of it; Still, Jack would always see Bitty cheering the loudest whenever he scored a goal anyway.

When Jack gets off the ice after a hard fought game against Yale — their main rival in the battle for a spot in Frozen Four — he’s greeted immediately by Larissa, Will, and of course, Bitty, who’s looking a little flushed in the cheeks; probably from the cold air of the rink, Jack guesses.

Those same flushed cheeks greet him with a smile, “Jack! Great game! I still had no clue what was going on half the time, but I could tell you were amazing.”

“Thanks,” Jack says, taking off his helmet and smiling in return before switching his attention to the two others standing behind Bitty. “I’m glad you guys could make it.”

Larissa puts her hand up for a fist bump, which Jack accepts, his gloved hand more than twice the size of hers. “It was a good time. I liked it when you guys rammed into each other. Definitely a lot more entertaining than figure skating, that’s for sure.”

“Haha. Yeah, I guess so,” Jack replies, removing a glove so he can sweep his sweaty hair out of his face.

Will, who has been awkwardly standing off to the side this whole time, says, “I don’t really get it, but it was fun to watch.” He shrugs, then asks, “How many goals did you score, by the way?”

Before Jack can answer, he’s suddenly ambushed by Shitty, who throws his body against Jack’s back. His helmet is also off, his hair absolutely drenched in sweat. “My boy here scored two beautiful goals with one assist from Yours Truly!” He plants a giant kiss on Jack’s cheek, and Jack coils away from the feeling of Shitty’s sweaty mustache tickling his face.

Shitty leans against him with an arm around his shoulder and asks, “So, who are these beautiful people? I don’t think I’ve seen you guys around before.”

“These are some of Bitty’s figure skating friends,” Jack replies.

“Figure skaters, huh?” Shitty says, his words laced with intrigue as he leans even more of his weight on Jack.

Bitty, who looks like he’s trying to hold in a laugh, gestures to William and says, “This is Will…”

Will gives Shitty a nod, and Shitty nods in return.

“...And this is Larissa.”

As Shitty’s gaze meets Larissa’s, his eyes widen and his mouth goes slack. Jack knows this face, and as Bitty shoots him a look, eyebrow raised, Jack guesses that he sees it too.

Larissa, completely unfazed, holds her fist up once more and says, “‘Sup.”

“Swawesome...” Shitty responds, and it’s practically a whisper.

Jack can’t wait to chirp Shitty about this later.

Bitty shakes his head, no longer trying to hide his amusement, and says, “Thank you so much for inviting us, Jack! We had a lot of fun.”

Jack smiles and nods, practically holding Shitty up now as his friend stays slack-jawed and frozen in place. “Well, I’m glad you could make it.” He tries not to get too distracted by how red Bitty’s cheeks get in response. “Are we still on for tonight?”

It’s a Saturday — Jack and Bitty’s scheduled movie night — and though the game has ended a little later than planned, Jack is still looking forward to it.

“Oh, of course!” Bitty replies, before shoving Jack’s shoulder playfully. Jack, unfortunately, can’t even feel the touch through all of his padding. “But you better not stink up our room, Mr. Zimmermann. Go shower!” He makes a face of disgust, but it isn’t very convincing.

Still, Jack laughs and begins dragging his lovestruck idiot of a teammate towards the locker room. “Haha. Sure, Bits.”

“See you back in our room!” Bitty says as he, Larissa, and Will walk in the opposite direction towards the lobby, waving as they go. “And don’t be late!” He tacks on as Larissa tugs him by the wrist until Jack can’t see him anymore.

Once they’re in the tunnel, Shitty seems to snap out of whatever trance he was in and jumps in front of Jack, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

Shitty’s giving him a look that he can’t quite place. “What, Shits?”

“You totally could’ve gotten a hat trick, brah...” Shitty replies, raising his eyebrows and stretching his grin as far as it will go. “...If you weren’t so distracted!”

Jack gives him a confused look. “Distracted? By what?”

Shitty pauses, looking at Jack like he’s genuinely surprised by Jack’s confusion before turning back around and continuing the walk back to the locker room. “Nevermind, forget I said anything.”

“If anyone’s distracted, it’s you,” Jack says, knocking their padded shoulders together. “Larissa, eh?”

Shitty quickly walks ahead of him. “I don’t know _what_ you’re talking about!”

~~~~~~~~~~

When they finally get to the locker room, almost everyone else has already left. Besides Johnson, who walks out of the showers with a towel around his waist, sees Jack and Shitty enter, and changes at lightning speed. He’s gone before Jack can even get his skates off.

As they undress, Jack doesn’t broach the subject of his best friend’s obvious crush on Bitty’s friend, even though he really wants to. Instead, he waits for Shitty to start talking first.

They both sit shirtless in their stations, Jack drying off his blades and Shitty removing his socks as he asks, “So, how’s the dibs battle been going? Think you got a chance?”

This makes Jack pause for a moment. He hasn’t really done anything to try to get dibs, at least not this semester. The idea hasn’t even crossed Jack’s mind in several months, the short conversation he had with Bitty being the first time he’d thought about it in a while.

“I don’t know,” he says as he puts his skates in his bag and starts removing the lower half of his gear. “I guess I kind of forgot about it.”

“You _forgot_?” Shitty asks, utterly confused as he removes his shin guards and stands up to remove his pants. “Dude, do you even _wanna_ live there anymore?”

“I’m not sure….”

Shitty looks down at him, contemplating something as he steps out of his pants. Jack, completely unfazed by the image of his friend in nothing but a jockstrap, sits there in his pants and begins organizing the rest of the gear in his bag.

“Jack, are you and Bitty, like….together?”

His head shoots up at that, not even blinking at the fact that Shitty’s now completely nude. “What? No! I mean-” He looks back down at his feet. “Bitty doesn’t like me like that.”

“And you _do_?”

“No,” Jack shakes his head, standing to remove the rest of his clothes. He goes to grab a towel, wrapping it around his waist. “We’re just roommates, Shits. That’s all.”

Shitty grabs his own towel, throwing it over his shoulder as he says, “But you’re not _just roommates_ , you’re _friends_.” He walks towards the showers, pausing beside Jack to put a hand on his shoulder. “And I think you want to be more.”

Then, Shitty gives Jack’s shoulder a pat and walks past him as if he hasn’t just tilted Jack’s whole world off its axis, leaving him alone in the empty locker room.

_‘Oh,”_ Jack thinks, staring at the floor.

_‘Fuck.’_

~~~~~~~~~~

_Fuck._

_Fuck fuck fuck fuck-_

Jack swears that Shitty did this on purpose, giving him this huge revelation right before he has to be with Bitty — _in close proximity_ — for several hours. Jack kind of wants to kill his best friend; maybe Ransom and Holster would help him hide the body-

“Jack? Are you okay?”

He’s snapped out of his thoughts by the question, nodding his head in response and forcing a smile. They’re sitting on Jack’s bed, Bitty with his laptop balancing on his thighs. He’s been scrolling through the Netflix homepage for what feels like forever, only just noticing Jack’s spaced-out expression.

Bitty gives him a look that screams _‘I don’t buy it’_ , but he doesn’t question Jack further. “Well, I think I found something to watch. I think you’ll like it.”

“Oh?”

“It’s a period drama. Apparently it’s pretty historically accurate,” Bitty says.

Jack nods, interest piqued.

Bitty clicks play and leans further into Jack’s pillows. “It looks really boring too, so….right up your alley.”

Jack rolls his eyes and settles in, mirroring Bitty as he gets comfortable against the headboard. This time though, Jack is acutely aware of the extra bit of space between them; space which, though they’ve become closer over the months, has never lessened. It can’t be more than three inches, but Jack kind of wants to make it zero.

That want, Jack realizes, isn’t exactly new; it’s probably been there for a while if Shitty was able to notice it.

It might not be new, but Jack’s acknowledgment of it is sudden, and he pushes it down just as fast.

He’s going to have to push it down _real_ far, apparently, because it’s starting to get difficult to ignore no matter how hard he tries. Jack isn’t even watching the movie at this point, focusing instead on the way the screen lights up Bitty’s features, how his eyes reflect everything so vividly.

Bitty isn’t making comments here and there like he usually does. He’s silent, but not in the same way he was when he would avoid Jack at all costs. This silence, it’s different….comfortable. It’s the type of silence that makes Jack feel closer to someone than he ever has before, the unspoken agreement that each other’s company is enough.

But it _isn’t_ enough, not this time around. Jack’s whole body feels like it’s on fire, so close to Bitty that he can feel his warmth without even touching him.

And _crisse_ , Jack wants to touch him. Bitty has one arm draped across his stomach, the other by his side, intruding slightly into the unknown territory that is the space between their bodies. Jack has his arms crossed in front of him, but he could just as easily let one come to rest next to Bitty’s, maybe hook their pinkies together, intertwine their fingers if Bitty allows. Jack thinks if that were to happen, he’d burst into flames right then and there.

Bitty’s eyes catch his for a brief moment, a soft smile on his lips, and Jack has only one thought on his mind:

_‘It was supposed to be Operation: Make Friends with Bittle, not Fall in_ Love _with Bittle.’_

~~~~~~~~~~

Two agonizingly slow hours later, the movie is over. Bitty sits up, closing his laptop and stretching his back, his hands above his head. Jack’s eyes laser-focus on the strip of skin that becomes visible as his t-shirt rides up, hinting at the toned abdominal muscles that Jack kind of really wants to feel beneath his hands-

“So, did you like it?”

Jack’s eyes shoot up, guilty at being caught, but Bitty doesn’t seem to notice. “Huh?”

Bitty rolls his eyes playfully. “The movie.”

“Oh…” To be honest, Jack doesn’t remember a thing about it. He had been....very distracted.

“Yeah, it was really interesting.”

_‘Not as interesting as you, apparently,’_ Jack thinks, and he seriously feels like hitting himself over the head.

Clueless to Jack’s internal struggle, Bitty says, “Yeah, it wasn’t as boring as I expected.” The end of his sentence turns into a yawn (Jack had no idea a yawn could be so adorable) and he moves his laptop to the edge of the bed, standing up and stretching his back further; Jack decidedly looks at anything _but_ his roommate’s exposed naval.

“Well, I’m beat. I’m sure you are too, after one helluva game.” Bitty doesn’t wait for an answer, continuing to say, “I’m gonna go get ready for bed if that’s alright.”

“...Yeah, sure.”

Bitty sleepily makes his way to the bathroom. “Promise I won’t hog the bathroom for too long!”

The bathroom door closes and Jack is left alone with his thoughts, which is a very dangerous thing, more so than usual it seems.

It’s right then that Jack hears his phone begin to buzz repeatedly from its spot at his side. It’s Shitty, who seems to have sent him several texts in quick succession.

**_Jack_ **

**_Jaaaaack_ **

**_Jacko_ **

**_Jacky-boy_ **

**_JZ_ **

**_Light of my life…._ **

**_Answer me whore :(_ **

**_What is it?_ **

**_...Are you high right now?_ **

**_You know me so well uwu_ **

**_Jack….my love_ **

**_remember that time I got super high and fell down a weird Youtube rabbit hole?_ **

**_Yeah_ **

**_you wouldn’t shut up about competitive horticulture for a whole week_ **

**_Shit’s fuckin fascinating brah_ **

**_Anyways_ **

**_It happened again_ **

**_What was it this time?_ **

**_Well I was fucking famished so I binged a bunch of baking videos_ **

**_And...my man_ **

**_I struck gold…._ **

When Shitty doesn’t continue right away, Jack sends a string of question marks to spur him on.

**_?????_ **

**_You know your roommate???_ **

**_Yes Shits I know my roommate_ **

**_What about him?_ **

**_Bitty_ **

**_Bits_ **

**_My precious sunshine child_ **

**_Eric Richard Bittle_ **

**_How do you know his middle name?_ **

**_Not important_ **

**_What really matters is that your roommate is YOUTUBE FAMOUS!!!_ **

Jack’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

**_What???_ **

**_Yeah like 500k subs and everything_ **

**_He mostly does baking videos_ **

**_(which are straight up pornographic btw)_ **

Jack gives a look of disgust, even though Shitty can’t see it.

**_How much did you smoke??_ **

**_Again...not important_ **

**_So he does baking tutorials, but he also has ones_ **

**_where he talks about starting college and dUDE._ **

**_He talks about YOU_ **

_**Like a lot** _

Jack’s anxiety flares up at that, starting at the pit of his stomach and creeping up into his throat. As if he can sense his concern, Shitty continues:

_I **t’s nothing bad I promise!!!**_

_**here’s the link if you're curious ;)** _

A link to a Youtube channel titled “omgcheckplease” appears on his screen, and Jack just stares at it for a long moment. This must have been what Bitty was up to all those times Jack would overhear him talking to seemingly no one at all. Shitty _says_ it’s nothing bad, but Jack can’t stop the thoughts in his head that tell him he isn’t going to like what he hears either way. He and Bitty’s friendship has evolved so much, he doesn’t want to mess it all up by knowing something he isn’t supposed to know. If Bitty hasn’t told him about his channel already, it’s obvious that he doesn’t want Jack to see it.

After several minutes of slight panic on Jack’s part, Shitty texts:

**_….Jack_ **

**_Shits_ **

**_Did you watch one?_ **

**_No_ **

**_Why not????_ **

**_I swear it’s not bad!!!_ **

**_I live with him, Shits_ **

**_I can’t watch it when he’s around_ **

**_...But you’re going to???_ **

**_...Maybe_ **

**_!!!!!!_ **

As if right on cue, Bitty comes out of the bathroom, face visibly moisturized; Jack wonders how soft his cheeks are-

“The bathroom’s all yours!” Bitty says, then his eyes land on the phone in Jack’s hands.

Jack hopes he doesn’t look as anxious as he feels.

Moving his laptop from Jack’s bed to his backpack, Bitty asks, “Who are you texting?”

“Uh, just Shitty,” Jack replies before placing his phone on his nightstand and plugging it in to charge overnight. He can reply to Shitty later...If he can come up with a response.

Bitty nods in understanding, yawning once more as he collapses onto his bed.

Getting up from his bed and shuffling awkwardly to the bathroom, Jack says, “I’m just, um….gonna brush my teeth…”

“Have fun!” Bitty replies, sarcasm piercing through the sleepiness in his voice as he rests his head on his pillow and scrolls through his phone aimlessly.

Jack does his nightly routine on autopilot, staring at his face in the mirror as he brushes his teeth. Unfortunately, nothing seems to drown out his thoughts.

He thinks of how Bitty used to act around him, uncomfortable and guarded as though he’d rather have been anywhere else. He thinks of how nice it felt to get to know him, to see Bitty become less tense around him over time. He thinks of the feelings that had rushed through him when Shitty had made him realize just how much he likes Bitty, his best friend seeming to know Jack better than he knows himself. He thinks about just how badly he had wanted to hold Bitty’s hand during the movie, how in awe he is by his roommate’s — no, his _friend’s —_ skills on the ice….

And he most _definitely_ thinks about how badly he has wanted those trips to Annie’s to be actual dates. He thinks extra hard about _that_ one.

He had blocked it all out before, fearing the worst, but now it’s all he can think about.

_Tabarnack,_ how didn’t he notice it sooner?

And why, even now, is he still terrified by what Bitty could be saying about him behind closed doors?

When he finally comes out of the bathroom, Bitty’s already fast asleep, everything but the top of his head covered by blankets.

Jack settles under his own covers and reaches for his phone, thumb hovering over the link Shitty had sent. Should he...

_No._

He exits his messages, sets his alarm, and wills the rest of his thoughts away for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end!! I'm halfway done with chapter 5, so hopefully I'll still be able to have it up by Sunday...
> 
> Of course I decided to join in on the 12 Days of Ficmas event, so I'm starting to write that fic this week immediately after finishing this one cause I'm insane- but it's fully outlined and I hope you guys will find it as adorable as I do! I'll talk more about what it's gonna be in the end notes of the final chapter!! :)
> 
> Next up: everything comes to a head!


	5. Giving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack isn’t sure _what_ he had expected, but he definitely wasn’t prepared for _that_.

Jack’s not _trying_ to avoid Bitty, but he’s not exactly upset when he wakes up and realizes he’s slept in late enough to miss Bitty leaving for skating practice. He _does_ feel a little guilty when he opens his phone to see the good morning texts Bitty sent him while he was asleep:

_**Good morning sleepyhead!!** _

**_I left for practice and didn’t wanna wake u_ **

**_Guess we stayed up a bit too late last night??_ **

**_Anyway...I’ll be back around noon (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧_ **

Jack stares at the little emoticon for longer than necessary; it’s just so _Bitty_ , Jack doesn’t even care to ask how he makes them. He spends several minutes overthinking a reply before foregoing one entirely, the message having been sent almost two hours ago anyway. Instead, Jack gets dressed and heads out, hoping that a walk across the lake quad will help him clear his mind.

And it does, for a while, until Shitty comes barreling towards him out of nowhere and almost succeeds in tackling him to the ground.

“Jack, my man! How’s my favorite human doing this fine morning? Enjoying a nice stroll?” Shitty asks, ruffling Jack’s hair.

Jack laughs, pushing his friend away lightly. “Well, I _was_ …”

“Fuck off, you love me,” Shitty says, giving Jack a playful shove in return.

They walk in silence for a while, crossing most of the lake’s bridge before taking a break to lean against the railing and look out at the water.

“So....” Shitty wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “Watch any interesting videos last night?”

The question makes Jack flinch; he had almost forgotten about what Shitty revealed to him yesterday, or at least, he had effectively stopped himself from obsessing over it for a short period of time. That type of avoidance doesn’t last long, apparently.

Jack doesn’t answer, just moves his gaze down to his feet. This reaction, of course, is more than enough for Shitty to decipher.

“Dude, you haven’t watched them yet? Why?” One look at the panic in Jack’s eyes and Shitty knows the answer to that question. “Jack, there’s nothing to be worried about, I promise.”

Meeting Shitty’s eyes (hands shaking, but barely), Jack says, “I just- it’s obvious he doesn’t want me to know about it.”

“He doesn’t have to know you found it-”

“Maybe, but I don’t think I’d be able to hide the fact that I did,” he shakes his head, willing the nervous feeling in his gut to settle, if only slightly. “Knowing what he really thinks of me….I wouldn’t be able to just pretend I never heard it.”

Jack hears Shitty sigh, then he's suddenly face to face with his best friend, whose hands are settled heavily on his shoulders, forcing Jack to look him in the eye.

Shitty’s face is serious, yet soft at the edges as he says, “Bitty’s your friend, right?”

“Yes...”

“And he enjoys spending time with you?”

He hesitates, averting his eyes once again.

“Seriously, bro?” He gives Jack’s shoulders a light shake. “He went to a game for a sport he doesn’t know shit about because you were playing. You guys skate together more often than _we_ do!”

“I guess-”

“You guys have weekly _movie nights!_ Which I’m extremely jealous of, by the way.”

“Yeah, but-”

“But _what_? You think he’s faking it? Cause I don’t think anyone would willingly visit the Haus on the regular if that were the case.”

Jack can’t help but laugh a little at that. Shitty’s right, no one outside of the hockey team ever hangs out there unless there’s free beer involved.

And the thing is, he _knows_ the Bitty doesn’t hate him, but that doesn’t make whatever was said in those videos any less terrifying.

“And besides,” Shitty adds, hooking an arm around Jack’s neck. “Aren’t you a little curious?”

Of course Jack’s curious. He still never figured out what made Eric so uncomfortable around him those first several weeks. It would be nice to know what he did wrong so he doesn’t do it again.

And yet.

“I just...I don’t want it to change anything, that’s all.”

They begin the walk back to Jack’s dorm, Shitty’s arm around his shoulders still. The silence lets his mind wander a little too far, but Jack sucks at breaking it; Thankfully, his best friend is an expert.

“What if it changed everything for the better?” Shitty asks, leaning into Jack’s side.

“What do you mean?”

Shitty smiles knowingly, and picks up the pace. “I guess you’ll just have to watch and find out.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Shitty walks Jack all the way back to his room, standing outside the door as Jack goes in. Huh. Looks like Bitty’s still not back yet.

“I can send you the link again, if you want,” Shitty says. It takes Jack a second to realize what he’s talking about.

“Euh, sure, I guess,” Jack moves to his desk, unzipping his backpack and getting out his laptop. He looks back at Shitty, who still hasn’t left the door frame. “Do you wanna hang out, or…?”

Shitty shakes his head. “Nah, I’ve got an essay due in like two days I still gotta finish.” He takes out his phone and starts typing something. “Besides, it looks like you’ve got some material of your own to catch up on.”

Jack’s phone chimes. He fishes it out of his pocket and looks at the screen.

“Ah, yes…. _that_ ,” he looks back up at his friend. “Thanks, Shits.”

Shitty smiles, taking hold of the door knob. “No problem, brah. It’s my _pleasure_.”

And with that, the door closes, and Jack is left alone with only his computer and a text that’s making his phone feel ten times heavier in his hand.

Jack doesn’t click on it. Instead, he sits down at his desk, opens his laptop, and types “omgcheckplease” into the Youtube search bar.

Pictures of Bitty flood the screen; ones of him holding different pastries, some featuring shots of him skating, and quite a few consisting only of his smiling face.

Jack scrolls down a little, stopping at a video titled _“Moving In! My first day at Samwell University!”_ He hesitates for a moment – the memory of that day just as embarrassing as it always is – but he clicks play eventually, and Bitty’s warm southern lilt filters out of Jack’s speakers and into the empty room.

He watches Bitty talk about moving in and hearing that day from Bitty’s perspective is….interesting. He recounts how difficult it was to say goodbye to his mother, how unprepared he was for the autumn chill, his nerves about being away from home for the first time….

_“As for my roommate-”_

Jack almost closes the tab before he can hear anything else, unsure if he should really be watching any of Bitty’s content. But before he can click away, Jack hears something that makes him go rigid in his seat.

 _“I wasn’t sure_ what _to expect, but y’all...It’s like someone took everything I find attractive in a man and mashed it all together into one six-foot package!”_

Jack isn’t sure _what_ he had expected, but he definitely wasn’t prepared for _that_.

the Bitty on Jack’s screen continues, _“And of course I already embarrassed myself. Now I don’t think I can ever show my face around him again, let alone_ live _with him! Lord, help me….”_

Well, that explains a lot. At least Jack knows now that it wasn’t anything _he_ had done that made Bitty avoid him.

Or was it? Everything else that had happened that day comes back to Jack’s mind at full force. He just _had_ to forget to bring a shirt into the bathroom, didn’t he?

Before Jack can stop himself from watching further, Youtube automatically starts the next video in the vlog playlist. And just like that, Jack finds himself unable to look away, watching Bitty’s first year at Samwell through his eyes.

He talks a lot about his experience baking in the dorm kitchen, how the oven always cooks everything unevenly. He talks a lot about how amazing the figure skating club is, how everyone there is so inviting and how much his skating has improved. He rarely talks about his classes though, which shouldn’t really be a surprise; Jack’s not sure he even knows what Bitty’s schedule is this semester besides vague times that he’s (hopefully) in class.

He talks about Jack, like a _lot._ Bitty doesn’t name names, thankfully, but he does mention his roommate at least one in every video. At first, Bitty talks about him with a nervous tone that makes Jack feel extremely guilty, but as the weeks go by, the way Bitty talks about him shifts to something a little more comfortable, making Jack breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, Jack makes it to his most recent vlog.

The date says it was uploaded about two weeks ago – around the time they had made those pies together – and it looks like Bitty hasn’t uploaded anything else since. He’s sat at his usual spot at his desk, shoulders hunched and body stiff in his chair.

 _“So hey, y’all! Back again with a new vlog! Now, for a while, some of you have been asking about my love life...and for advice...why you_ would _is beyond_ _me,”_ Jack watches as Bitty struggles to look at the camera, a forced smile on his face.

_“I don’t have much advice because, well, I’ve never had much of a love life. But I will say this. If you’re in a position like mine where...you know. And it’s something I should’ve known could only end badly….”_

He lets out a shaky breath and covers his face with his hands.

_“Never fall for your roommate.”_

Jack’s breath catches in his throat. He stares at the image of Bitty on his screen, hopeless and in _love._ Bitty loves him _back_ and Jack has no idea what to _do_ -

“Jack, have you eaten? The dining hall is serving chicken tenders today and I know they’re your favorite, so I thought we could-”

Jack slams his laptop shut and whips his head in the direction of the door.

“Bitty!”

“...How did you find that?” Bitty asks, voice shaking as he points to Jack’s computer.

He gets up from his desk, “Bits-”

“Um...I just remembered- I have a...meeting...so I’ve gotta-”

Jack doesn't tell his feet to move, but they do anyway, reaching out to put a hand on the doorknob before Bitty can. They’re close now, closer than they’ve ever been, but Bitty looks up at him with fear in his eyes.

“...Jack?”

Now, Jack has never been a fan of spontaneity, always preferring to think things through, to have a _plan-_

“ _Eric_.”

As he leans down, the first brush of lips against his has Jack realizing that sometimes, not everything goes to plan, and that’s ok.

It can be _great_ , actually.

Eric goes rigid at the contact, making Jack panic for a brief moment, but then Eric’s whole body practically melts into his, finally kissing him back and placing both hands on Jack’s chest as Jack cups Eric’s face gently and deepens the kiss. Everything is so _warm_ , every point of contact making Jack’s skin feel like it’s on fire. It feels more right than anything he’s ever felt before, and Jack tries not to kick himself for how much time he’s wasted thinking nothing like this could ever happen. Because it _could_ , it _has_ , and now Jack never wants it to stop.

Sadly, they do have to breathe eventually, and as their eyes meet just inches away from one another, neither of them can stop the laughter that escapes them both.

“So...how much did you watch?” Eric asks, voice practically a whisper.

Jack wraps his arms around Eric’s waist and says, “Enough.”

Eric groans, hiding his face in Jack’s chest. “Lord, this is so embarrassing….”

“Well, it led us here, didn’t it?” Jack asks, resting his cheek on the top of Eric’s head, inhaling the soft peach scent of his shampoo.

Removing his face from Jack’s chest, Eric smiles up at him. “Yeah, I guess it did.”

Eric kisses him then, standing on his tiptoes to reach Jack’s lips. Eric’s lips are so soft compared to Jack’s chapped ones, like butter.

“So...do you think the dining hall still has chicken tenders left? Cause I’m starving,” Jack asks and Eric laughs, slapping him lightly on the chest.

“Of course, that’s what’s on your mind!”

“Among other things…” Jack replies, lips pressed into Eric’s temple.

Jack feels Eric shudder before he pushes Jack away playfully and goes to open the door. “You’re gonna be the death of me, I swear.”

They spend the rest of their Saturday together, eating a late lunch in the dining hall, their hands intertwined under the table. They take a walk across lake quad, and though it’s Jack’s second of the day, the way they keep close, shoulders and hands brushing, makes it ten times better than the first. Jack almost takes Eric’s hand in his several times, but his nerves overtake him every time.

As they walk down the hall to their room, Eric closes the distance between their fingers and Jack breathes a sigh of relief, and in that moment, Jack doesn’t regret watching those vlogs in the slightest. He almost wishes he had learned about them sooner, or maybe if he hadn't been so oblivious from the start, they could've been doing this months ago.

But at least they got here eventually. That’s all that really matters.

That night, they lay in Jack’s bed together, talking in hushed tones even though they’re the only two people in the room. It makes Jack realize just how easy it all is. They’re roommates, they already live together and even though their separate beds are much too small to hold both of them at once, Jack feels so goddamn lucky.

Though he is a little guilty, because there’s no way in hell that Shitty wins best roommate now. He might contest that their cuddle sessions were top notch and that they _should_ make him the clear winner, but really, nothing compares to this.

Eric shifts closer to Jack after a while, hooking a leg over Jack’s hip, Jack draping an arm over Eric’s waist in return. They trade lazy kisses back and forth until long past midnight, but they don’t do anything more than that. Those things can come later.

“So...I’m your type, eh?”

Eric pushes himself up to straddle Jack hips, looking down at Jack’s surprised expression with a smirk. “What do _you_ think?”

Or they can come now. Definitely now.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jack wakes up to the sound of his phone buzzing on his bedside table, despite the fact that he had forgotten to set his alarm that night.

To be fair, he had been….distracted.

Yet the cause of his distraction is nowhere to be found, the small half of Jack’s bed that isn’t up against the wall empty with the covers pulled back. Jack’s attention turns to the bathroom where he can hear the shower running, the sounds of Eric’s singing cutting through the noise.

To be honest, the early morning karaoke sessions used to grate on him slightly, but now he suddenly finds them endearing, somehow.

Jack removes the rest of the covers from his body and stands, moving to put on pants and a shirt before picking up his phone and sitting back down on the edge of his bed. He laughs and shakes his head as he hears Eric hit one particularly bad note.

Unlocking his phone, Jack sees that he has two text notifications. He opens the first one, which is from Shitty, of course:

_**Hey dude since you and Bits are totally boning now…** _

**_you think he could help me get Larissa’s number???_ **

Jack rolls his eyes; he’d expect nothing less from his best friend. Eric will probably be glad to set them up, considering how obvious it was to both of them that Shitty was instintly head over heels.

Before he answers, he checks who the other message is from. To his surprise, it’s Johnson, who hasn’t texted Jack in at least a year:

_**Hey Jack. Congrats on the conflict resolution.** _

**_I was planning on giving you my dibs, but I have a feeling you’re not going to want it anymore._ **

**_The kitchen’s always open though, whenever you need it._ **

Jack once again doesn’t know how to even begin to respond to that; he guesses that’s why he and Johnson don’t talk all that much.

As Eric walks out of the shower in a pair of black leggings and a compression shirt, damp hair sticking up all over the place, Jack realizes that Johnson is definitely right about one thing.

Who needs dib when he’s got _this_?

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Eric asks, and Jack just stares, admiring how good Eric’s body looks in his skatewear.

He looks, because he can _do_ that now.

Jack does answer though, eventually. “No.”

 _Eloquent_ , Jack thinks as Eric notices him staring. He doesn’t say anything about it, because he knows the intent behind it, or at least, Jack hopes he does by now. He’s not very good at being subtle anymore when it comes to Eric.

Eric smiles knowingly as he says, “That’s good. I was really tempted to sleep in myself but…” He gestures to his skate bag, which is beside the door, right next to Jack’s hockey bag.

“....Can I come?” Jack asks and Bitty’s smile grows even wider, somehow.

“Of course.”

Jack then proceeds to put on his jacket and a pair of shoes a little too enthusiastically for five in the morning and he flushes slightly when he notices Eric laugh, a little breathless. He takes his skates out of his hockey bag and stuffs them into his backpack, throwing it over his shoulder before coming to stand in front of Eric, who’s been waiting by the door this whole time.

“Ready?” Eric asks, looking up at Jack with a smile.

Jack nods, “Yeah, I think so.”

With a hand on Jack’s shoulder, Eric pulls him down for a chaste kiss. Jack wants to chase it, make it last a little longer. Instead, Eric opens the door and reaches out a hand; Jack takes it, letting their fingers intertwine and locking the door behind them as they go.

The first thing they do when they get back to their room is push their beds together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're officially done!! I'm very surprised that I was able to stick to an actual posting schedule this time around-
> 
> As for what prompt this was taken from, this was it: “you’re my shy (but cute) roommate who doesn’t talk to me much but I always hear you talking a storm up alone in your room and my friend informs me you run a very successful YouTube channel and the last few videos are about your new hot roommate” I don't have the exact post it came from, but it definitely wasn't the only one on there that gave me ideas....
> 
> I'll be posting the first chapter of my 12 Days of Ficmas piece next Sunday, with updates every day that week and ending on New Years' Day! It's about Jack and Bitty meeting at a ski resort when Bitty, Ransom, Holster, Shitty, and Lardo take a New Years' trip together the winter before Ransom, Holster, and Lardo's graduation. It's gonna be a short (at least I hope so) and cute story to celebrate the end of this disaster of a year :')

**Author's Note:**

> I plan to update this every Sunday until it's done. I hope you enjoy it!! :)
> 
> come talk to me on Tumblr at [b1ttle](https://b1ttle.tumblr.com/) (my omgp blog) or [marc0bot](https://marc0bot.tumblr.com/) (my main)!! I love talking to people about my fics or receiving prompts!
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!! I love getting feedback and talking to you guys!!! <3


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